Historically black colleges and universities were established prior to the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made previously established "separate but equal" racial segregation laws null. The schools were intended to provide higher education to the black community, at a time when black students weren't permitted to attend many institutions. Today, 105 historically black colleges and universities still exist in America, but many of them are now actively looking to enroll non-black students. Why is this? And how will this initiative change historically black colleges?

We're speaking with Johnny C. Taylor Jr., CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which partners with historically black colleges to increase student retention and graduation rates. We’re also joined by Dr. R. L'Heureux Lewis, assistant professor of sociology and black studies at the City College of New York, and author of the forthcoming book "Inequality in the Promise Land."

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Comments [1]

Dr. Joelle Davis Carter
from George Washington University

I appreciate this very timely conversation and I think the whole notion of non-Blacks, particularly White and international students, attending HBCUs has been a constant on HBCU campuses for the past 10-15 years. My research on White student engagement on public HBCU campuses revealed that strong faculty and staff relationships, pre-college diversity experiences and the presence of structured first-year experience programs enable White HBCU students successfully transition, engage and succeed as "temporary minorities" in majority African American settings. The diversification of HBCUs campuses may provide these institutions a competitive advantage in the higher education marketplace.